Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voltage regulator and in particular to a voltage regulator with a power-saving function.
Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates conventional power-saving technology for a voltage regulator 100. The voltage regulator 100 is mounted on a printed circuit board 102 to receive a first voltage Vin from a power supply 104 and convert the first voltage Vin to a second voltage Vout to power the modules (e.g. chips or circuits) 106_1 to 106_4 on the printed circuit board 102. As shown, a switch 108 is coupled between the voltage regulator 100 and the modules 106_1 to 106_4 and controlled by a control signal 110. The switch 108 is turned off when there is a need to save power. Power saving is achieved by breaking the connection between the second voltage Vout and the modules 106_1 to 106_4.
However, when the modules 106_1 to 106_4 are switched to a power-saving mode, the voltage regulator 100 still keeps working and consumes considerable power.